Research article

Durkheim, Vygotsky and the Curriculum of the Future

Author
  • Michael F. D. Young

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the principles on which the curriculum should be based. It argues that the fundamental issue is the relationship between the knowledge on which the curriculum is based and the everyday knowledge that learners bring to school or college. The approaches to knowledge of two educational theorists, the French sociologist, Emile Durkheim, and the Russian psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, are discussed. While pointing out some of the limitations of their approaches, the paper argues that their attempts to integrate the objectivity and the historicity of knowledge must remain at the heart of future curriculum debates.

How to Cite:

Young, M., (2003) “Durkheim, Vygotsky and the Curriculum of the Future”, London Review of Education 1(2), 99–117. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/1474846032000098473

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Published on
01 Jul 2003
Peer Reviewed
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